Archie Porter

Enrolling in Screen and Media Studies at the University of Waikato was a natural choice for Archie Porter. “I’ve always been interested in films and how they’re constructed, so it just made sense to me to study that.”

A recommendation from a friend saw him move from Mount Maunganui to Hamilton after high school to complete a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Waikato. The breadth of offerings within Te Kura Toi School of Arts meant he was able to combine his passion for film with his interest in English and creative writing, focusing on narrative storytelling across both paper and the screen.

Soon after finishing his degree, he enrolled in a Master of Media and Creative Technologies – a choice backed by a University of Waikato Research Masters Scholarship and the close relationships he had already made within the School. “My professors were really inspiring, like Gareth Schott – his enthusiasm and passion gave me a newfound drive to develop my voice. The Screen and Media Studies Department is small, so they’re very dedicated to their students. It felt more like a family to be honest.”

Another special mention goes to Dr Kyle Barrett and the paper MEDIA302 Film Production 3: From Concept to Screen, which Archie says challenged him and what he’d learnt throughout his undergraduate degree. “We made three short films focusing on different cinematic elements, like cinematography, sound design and narrative, then a final film that was the culmination of all the elements we’d experimented with and everything I’d learnt over the previous two years. I got to really express myself – Kyle was very encouraging throughout all of that.”

Shortly after graduating with his master’s degree, Archie joined Auckland production studio Supernormal. Now Head of Post-Production, he uses his technical skills and storytelling background to cut together visual narratives for clients like Hyundai and Disney. “I always think of editing as the final draft of the script. The fundamentals of storytelling and creative writing naturally apply to it, and to media as a whole.”

Archie says he realised the potential of his study halfway through his bachelor’s degree and encourages other students to think of university as more than assignments and deadlines from the beginning. “At university, you have the security to experiment and make mistakes – it’s the point of learning.”